Since I started working in New York City in my current role as assistant executive housekeeper, I had to experience several snow storms, and hurricane Irene and Sandy. While Sandy was the most devastating storm yet, our housekeeping department was able to continue delivering smooth and flawless service, and no service limitations were necessary.

Crane dangling at Park Hyatt NY during Hurricane Sandy

The game plan to battle a hurricane, can be divided into three parts, the preparation immediately before the storm, the time during the hurricane, and the clean-up afterwards. Learning how to maneuver in a crisis comes from experiences of similar situations in the past. I remember the snow blizzard that hit New York City in December 2010 vividly, and how I started my shift at 6 am in the morning with only picking up the phones and taking sick calls for about 30 minutes. Once we had about 30 employees calling out for their shift as they had simply no way to come to work, I learned how people can pull together beyond any differences and arguments that usually separate them and make the impossible possible. We were able to clean all rooms that day without any service delays, with having butlers, houseman, supervisors, dispatchers and managers cleaning and inspecting rooms. While it is a memorable experience, and I love to tell this story (over and over again), I also learned that there is a much smarter way to cope with a crisis like this.

The preparation is core in successfully managing through the storm. Besides going through the hotel and departmental emergency check list, you need to look at your stock, supplies and staffing. Do you have enough cleaning supplies, guest room amenities, and linen on stock to go through a couple of days, and more importantly do you have enough employees to make it all happen? What happens if the hotel looses electricity or steam? Having a storm in New York City causes restrictions in public transportations, or even a complete shut down, resulting in employees not being able to come to work or get back home. Hence it’s crucial to contact every employee two days before the storm hits the city, and inform about the upcoming weather conditions, any updates on public transportations, and to offer the employee to stay over at the hotel during the hurricane. Getting your employees to be prepared is key, and you will always find enough people that are enthusiastic and passionate to help the hotel during this difficult period and stay over at the hotel. Once you have a core group of employees for every category in the hotel (ensure not to forget anyone, you need room attendants, houseman, laundry & valet attendants, coordinators etc.) you will find that most are willing to make up for the extra work in overtime (don’t forget that this still needs to go by seniority in a unionized property, even if it’s during a hurricane). Always remember that you hope for the best, and prepare for the worst!

Now you’ve done the prep-work, informed all your employees about the upcoming storm and communicated the challenges ahead, you’re ready for the storm. Continue calling all your employees, if they are able to come to work the next day, and if not take them off the schedule right then (in this emergency scenario most properties allow their employees to take any benefit day, that they want), and you’ll not be surprised by any call outs in the morning. Don’t be the department head standing at the operations meeting in the morning, having to explain that you had 50 call outs, and will not be able to change linen today – no matter the circumstances, if you’re well prepared and did your homework, you’ll be alright. The time during the hurricane is very motivating on one side as you’ll get to experience incredible teamwork and find that even in an unionized environment your employees will make the impossible possible. On the other side it is very draining and exhausting, as you continue having to stay on edge for 14 hours a day, and never allow yourself to relax (but in the end it’s all worth it). Managers will always be tempted to let more things go and turn a blind eye more often during a crisis, but ensure this stays within reason and can be justified, as things will go back to normal, and you don’t want to have set a precedent.

The hurricane is over and passed the city, it’s all over and congratulations, correct? Wrong, you still need to clean-up the mess and finish the race! The days after the storm are crucial as public transportation may still not be back to normal, and your vendors may also not be able to deliver yet for various reasons. Ensure to touch base with all your employees, if they and their families are safe and sound and made it well through the hurricane. Ensure to thank everyone for their efforts and that all the hard work does not pass by unrecognized. One effective way to recognize is to take pictures throughout the hurricane of your employees and to display them in your staff canteen together with stories of accomplishment and teamwork. And last but not least, ensure that payroll is correct, and everyone gets paid correctly.

I am always amazed by how much you can achieve with a small group of people that is dedicated to do the impossible. Working through a hurricane, you’ll find that people are suddenly able to communicate effectively and e-mails become obsolete, everyone works together with a common goal regardless of their differences, and you’re getting things done without complications!